Programmes

Subjects/Themes

Philippa is a 25-year-old medic who grew up in Watford and before volunteering with Raleigh, she was working as a locum doctor in Accident and Emergency at Watford General and The Royal London hospital.

Our team of 8 volunteers and 3 project managers has successfully completed 3 weeks of Natural Resources Management volunteer work in the south-western national parks of Golfito and Piedras Blancas. We have worked and lived alongside the park rangers, or ‘guardaparques’, of the national parks, gaining a rare first-hand insight into the lives, both personally and professionally, of these people, perhaps unseen to the outside eye due to their isolated work environment.

This summer, 11 civil engineering students from Newcastle University joined our 5-week expedition in Costa Rica. As part of their module for their master’s degree, they have been working in the indigenous community of Tsirbakla to help build a new school. The students share what life was like in the indigenous community…

This week we say farewell to our volunteers who have been working with Raleigh in Costa Rica for the past seven weeks. One of these volunteers is Lindsey, a 21-year-old from the Pasadena suburb of Los Angeles in California.

On the 12th August, Raleigh International volunteers around the world will be celebrating their achievements in sustainable development as part of International Youth Day. This year, the theme for International Youth Day is ‘Safe Spaces for Youth’.

The Sharabata community is situated in the Alto Chirripó Indigenous Territory in the Cartago Province of Costa Rica. This territory is one of the most remote areas in the country; it can take an average of 4 hours to reach the community on foot due to a lack of infrastructure. Presently, the primary school is well equipped and has more than adequate resources to provide a base level of education. In comparison, the current secondary school is under-resourced and floods regularly. This could be one of the main reasons that the indigenous young people in the community do not further their education beyond primary level.

Our 10-week volunteers have just completed the Dragon Trek, a 280km route from the Caribbean side of Costa Rica that winds its way over mountains and through towns all the way to the Pacific side of the country. Our volunteers tell us in their own words, what it is like to take on the Youth Leadership Trek…

Joining our 5-week expedition this summer are employees of our partner, VolkerFitzpatrick, and a group of civil engineering students from Newcastle University. Over the next few weeks, these volunteers will be helping build the school in the indigenous community of Tsirbakla.

Costa Rica is considered to be one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, containing an estimated 4% of species found on Earth. A key part of Raleigh’s work in Costa Rica is to help ensure the long-term conservation of the country’s precious environment and wildlife.

This July 15, Raleigh International will be commemorating World Youth Skills Day to celebrate the achievements of young people and raise awareness of the importance in investing in youth skills development.